Heightened Senses
by Gemini11
Summary: The Charmed ones use a potion using the wrong ingredients causing the spell to backfire. They are faced with an invisible demon whom they must defeat. Fortunately, they are able to defeat their enemy due to the potion's backfiring. (My very first Charmed


Heightened Senses  
  
By: Gemini  
  
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe had just gotten home after a long day at the club. Prue and Phoebe had been helping Piper get things prepared for the health inspectors that were coming to evaluate the club. It had been a hectic couple of days for Piper.  
  
"Piper, honey, you are exhausted. You need to go get some sleep." Phoebe said.  
  
"But what about your exam? I promised to help you study for it in exchange for your help at the club. If you hadn't helped me you would have had time to study on your own." Piper said.  
  
"It's just a little exam. I think most of it will just be common sense anyway." Phoebe replied.  
  
"Yeah, plus I can help her. I didn't really wear myself out at the club, I've got a few hours left in me." Prue added. "Besides if you want to be at your best for those inspectors tomorrow then you'll need as much rest as you can get."  
  
"Are you sure?" Piper asked and Phoebe and Prue nodded their heads. "I'm really sorry, Phoebe. It's just that with the last two owners going bankrupt—"  
  
"You just don't want this to bring you down." Phoebe finished. "I understand." Phoebe hugged Piper and then said, "Now, up to your room!"  
  
Piper hugged Prue good night and then went up to her room.  
  
"Go get your books and meet me in the attic." Prue told Phoebe.  
  
"Why the attic?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"I wanted to check up on something in The Book of Shadows. It's nothing important." Prue answered and Phoebe went into the other room to get her books as Prue headed up the stairs.  
  
  
  
When Phoebe came into the attic Prue was at The Book of Shadows reading. Phoebe walked to a table and dropped her books on it with a loud thud. Prue screamed and jumped, and as a result Phoebe did the same.  
  
"Don't do that!" Prue shouted breathing deeply. "You scared me!"  
  
"I'm sorry." Phoebe said looking equally shaken.  
  
Piper came running into the attic and stopped at the doorway when she saw that everything looked fine.  
  
"What happened? Is everything okay?" She asked hesitantly.  
  
"Yeah, sorry. Phoebe just startled me a bit."  
  
"Prue, what are you doing?" Piper asked after seeing Prue hovering over the book.  
  
"Well,"  
  
"Well what?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Today at the club I had this strong feeling that I was being watched."  
  
"We weren't the only ones at the club though, Prue." Piper said. "I had an electrician there to check on the stage equipment and some of the staff were there cleaning up."  
  
"I know, but that's different." Prue said. "It was like something was hanging over my shoulder watching my every move."  
  
"Actually, now that you mention it, I did get a strange sort of chill a couple of times." Phoebe said.  
  
"So, you got a chill, and you felt awkward, what are you saying?" Piper asked looking from Prue to Phoebe. "That you think my club is haunted? Is that what you're saying?"  
  
"I don't think it's the club." Prue said.  
  
"What do you mean?" Piper asked cautiously.  
  
"Well, when we left the club I still had that feeling. It didn't go away until we came into the house." Prue explained. "And I've been having it for almost a week now any time I leave the house."  
  
"Okay, so if it was a demon or warlock or something then why didn't it follow you into the house?" Piper asked. "No demon or warlock has ever been afraid to enter the house before."  
  
"I don't know. Maybe I am getting a bit jumpy lately, and maybe I'm taking this too far, but I at least want to check the book to be sure. I mean, you never know, right?" Prue started flipping through the pages of the book once more.  
  
"Well, do you think we could be dealing with Troxa again? Do you think he could've come back somehow?" Piper asked.  
  
"I don't think so, I mean we didn't vanquish him, the Triad did, and I just don't see them as the forgiving, second chance type." Prue replied. "Besides if it was Troxa we know he would have followed me into the house, he's been in here before, and I don't think he'd be afraid to come back."  
  
"I just thought that maybe" Piper got tongue-tied and paused looking confused. "Let me try that again, I just think—"  
  
"Piper," Phoebe interrupted and crossed the room to where her sister was. "You really need to get to sleep you can't even think straight."  
  
"I know, I know." Piper said with a sigh. As she started to leave Prue shouted at them.  
  
"Piper, Phoebe, come look at this." Prue said quickly.  
  
"What is it?" Piper asked.  
  
"A Darkar Demon." Prue read from the book. Phoebe rushed to her side to take a look while Piper slowly crossed the room.  
  
"What is a Darkar Demon?" Piper asked.  
  
"Well," Phoebe said clasping her hands in front of her. She finished reading the book to herself and turned to her older sister. "It's a demon that stalks it's victims for months learning their weaknesses and their strengths until it finally attacks. When it does attack it uses your weaknesses to make you vulnerable. It plays games with your mind until you think you're losing your mind. It's got a telepathic based power so it puts you in a hypnotic type of state I guess you could say, but when it attacks it uses some sort of ceremonial weapon dripping with venom or poison." Phoebe said shaking her hands as she talked. "The book says it's a major witch killer." Phoebe said. "It says here that a general power of three spell should vanquish it, but it also says that in some cases the spell may backfire. It gives three alternate spells to use in that case."  
  
"What kind of cases?" Piper asked.  
  
"Well, in cases where maybe one of us have already been affected by the demon, and we're running around insane." Phoebe summarized in her own words.  
  
"Then you think this demon has been watching you?" Piper asked Prue.  
  
"It's a possibility." Prue said. "I've just never had such strong a feeling before for such a long period of time."  
  
"It's also a possibility that you are just getting a bit paranoid." Piper said. "Everyone feels watched at one point or another."  
  
"True, that is a possibility, but don't you think that after all we've been through that it's more of a possibility that it is the demon?" Phoebe asked. "I mean don't you think we learned our lesson with Troxa?"  
  
"I suppose so." Piper shook her head in frustration. "You're probably right. So let's just pick out a spell, find the demon and vanquish it, why wait around?"  
  
"Piper, it's a transparent demon until it attacks. That is how it stalks witches without them knowing." Phoebe explained. "How can we vanquish it if we can't even see it?"  
  
"So, okay, so let's just summon it somehow and get rid of it." Piper suggested.  
  
"There are no summoning spells, Piper. We have to wait it out and let the demon make its move." Phoebe said.  
  
"Well, I'm going to go back to bed now, so you read up on the demon, see if there is a way to keep ourselves safe until we can vanquish it, then tell me in the morning, and no more screaming either."  
  
"Sorry about that, Piper." Prue said. "'Night."  
  
"Good night guys." Piper said and went back to her room.  
  
"So now we've got a stalker. I never got to say that before." Phoebe laughed.  
  
"This is not a joke, Pheebs." Prue said looking at her youngest sister seriously.  
  
"Prue, I know, Believe me. I was just trying to lighten the mood a bit in case you forgot what happened last time." Phoebe slumped down in a chair in front of the table and opened one of her books. "I go through the same things you and Piper go through. I know you don't always think I take these things seriously but I do."  
  
"The book says that in order to—" The pages in the book started to turn on their own and Prue took a startled step backwards pulling her hands close to her. "Whoa," Prue mumbled. "I hate it when the book does that."  
  
Phoebe jumped out of her chair and ran to her sister's side. "I love it when the book does that." Phoebe said when she was next to Prue. "What is it?"  
  
"It's a protection spell." Prue answered slowly. "Looks short and sweet."  
  
"They always look short and sweet." Phoebe said annoyed. "Okay, so in order for the spell to work you have to drink a potion directly after saying it. That would be the catch. We have to make a potion first." Phoebe said looking up at her sister.  
  
"Can you make it?" Prue asked.  
  
"Well," Phoebe returned her gaze to the book. "It seems to be a simple protection potion so, yeah I can probably do it."  
  
"Do we have all the necessary ingredients?" Prue asked. "If not then in the morning, I can stop by that Wiccan store you always go to and pick up whatever you need."  
  
"Let's see here." Phoebe said running her finger down the list of ingredients. "Basically we have everything except Basil."  
  
"Right, okay so I'll stop by and pick some up in the morning." Prue said. "But since we can't really do anything about it until then let's get you ready for that big test."  
  
They both sat down and started to make up a study guide. A couple of hours later Prue knocked one of the books off the table. Phoebe bent down to pick up her book and when she touched the book's spine she received a premonition. She saw a scaly, black, clawed hand use telekinesis to send the book slamming into the back of Piper's head knocking her to the floor unconscious. Phoebe took in a long deep breath as the vision ended. She laid the book down on the table and looked at Prue.  
  
"What did you see?" Prue asked with a concerned look on her face.  
  
"I think it was the demon. I only saw a hand; it used your power to fling my book at Piper. It hit her, hard, in the back of the head and I think it knocked her out." Phoebe said as her expression changed to a look of concern and worry. "Prue, how could it have your power?"  
  
"Maybe its power is telekinesis too." Prue said not knowing what to say.  
  
"The book said that its only power is telepathy, playing mind games, and making you see things that aren't really there. It doesn't have telekinesis." Phoebe said. Prue looked away. "The only way it could have your power was if it—"  
  
"I know." Prue interrupted. "We need to get that protection potion ready, cast the spell, and stay together until we've vanquished it."  
  
"Okay, well I think I've done enough studying. As long as I go over this guide before the test I should do fine." Phoebe started closing all her books and stacking them. "First off, you never know what little thing can help change a premonition so I'm not leaving my books up here like I had planned to. I think I'll take them back to school."  
  
"Your premonition took place in the attic?" Prue asked helping stack the books.  
  
"I'm not sure, I couldn't really make out the room. I was planning to leave my books up here though so it would have to be where my books were, right?" Phoebe asked. "I'm not sure, but I'm going to put them somewhere else just in case."  
  
"Good idea." Prue said helping Phoebe carrying the books to her room. "Okay, so we'll get some sleep, and in the morning we'll fill Piper in. Then I'll call you after I have the missing herb. You start the potion while I'm gone that way we'll have it ready, we don't need to waste more time than absolutely necessary." Prue hugged Phoebe. "Try to sleep well."  
  
"I'll try but those dancing demons don't seem to be half as skillful as the sugarplum fairies, it's almost disturbing to watch." Phoebe said with a smile. Prue laughed and Phoebe gave her a kiss on the cheek before she left for her room.  
  
Phoebe changed into her pajamas and slipped into the blankets. The thought of the demon having Prue's power bothered her because she knew the only way it could have her sister's power was if it killed her and took it.  
  
Phoebe rolled onto her side trying to get more comfortable. She kept seeing the image of Piper falling to the floor over and over. Each time she would see the image she would catch more detail, small things mostly, and soon she realized that it wasn't the attic she was seeing. It was her room. Phoebe looked across the room to the corner where she had stacked her books on the dresser.  
  
Phoebe jumped out of bed and picked up the books. She wasn't entirely sure it had been her room she thought that it could possibly have been either of her sister's rooms. She tried to think of somewhere she could put the books, somewhere no one would think to put them just in case she was wrong about which room her vision was showing her. She ran downstairs and put the books in what she thought was a very unlikely place, and then she returned to her bed. Eventually she dozed off to a fitful sleep.  
  
  
  
In the morning Phoebe awoke to Piper sitting on the side of the bed shaking her. Phoebe had been tossing and turning in her bed. She sat up and pushed back the covers. Piper brushed a wisp of hair out of Phoebe's face and tucked it behind her sister's ear.  
  
"Are you okay?" She asked her younger sister.  
  
"Yeah, just a bad dream I guess." Phoebe looked out the window and the sun was shining bright. "What time is it?"  
  
"It's almost 9:30 that's why I woke you. I had to come back home because I left my purse here and I saw your books were still in the fridge for whatever reasons." Piper said looking at her sister strangely. Phoebe frantically jumped out of her bed and ran to her closet.  
  
"Didn't Prue bring you up to date on the demon situation?" Phoebe asked while trying to find something decent to wear.  
  
"Yes, but even she didn't know why your school books were in the refrigerator." Piper replied.  
  
"Brush, brush," Phoebe mumbled under her breath while looking around the room.  
  
"Do you want me to give you a ride to the college?" Piper asked crossing the room to the dresser and taking a brush out of the drawer. She handed it to Phoebe who started to violently brush her hair. "Phoebe, careful, you're gonna go bald if you keep that up."  
  
Phoebe started to brush her hair less violently and pinned it back with two chopsticks.  
  
"I'll wait for you downstairs." Piper said and went downstairs to the kitchen as Phoebe started getting dressed.  
  
She went to the refrigerator and took Phoebe's books out putting them in Phoebe's bag, which she took out to her Cherokee and tossed in the back seat. Phoebe came running out of the house as Piper walked around to the other side of the car and got into the driver's seat. Phoebe jumped in and started to ransack her bag looking for the study guide. Piper took it from the dashboard and handed it to her.  
  
"Oh, what would I do with out you?" Phoebe asked with a hug.  
  
"Get off me, I have to drive." Piper replied jokingly, and then pulled out of the driveway. "You better do good on that test, Prue looked exhausted from staying up with you. I know she may have said she wasn't tired but she did wear herself out at the club last night she just didn't want to let you down. So you better make her efforts worth it."  
  
"I will, don't worry. I think I've got it all down." Phoebe said reciting something to herself, not aloud. She folded up the paper and stuck it in a pocket on the bag. "Okay, so after the test I will meet you and Prue at the house."  
  
"Oh, no you can't, we have to meet at the club to cast the spell. I won't be able to make it home. Not in time, anyway."  
  
"All right, then I'll go home after the test, make the potion, and meet you and Prue at P3 then." Phoebe said.  
  
"I thought Prue had to pick up an herb for you." Piper asked.  
  
"She does but I am supposed to have the potion ready by lunch time so that she can come to the club during her lunch break to cast it." Phoebe answered.  
  
"Okay, then." Piper nodded. "Where will you add the last herb?"  
  
"Oh, yeah." Phoebe started to think. "I guess I'll call Prue and ask her about it later."  
  
They pulled up in front of the college and Piper stopped.  
  
"Have a nice day sweetheart." Piper said mockingly. "Try not to start any fights today, okay dear?"  
  
"Very funny." Phoebe muttered. She gave a grinning Piper a quick kiss on the cheek and thanked her for the ride before running off to class.  
  
  
  
Phoebe tried to sneak into class, but just as she was sitting down, the professor, who had been writing on the board with his back to the class, turned to face her.  
  
"Miss Halliwell, you're late again. How surprising," He paused and then held up a piece of paper. "Here is your test." She set her things down at her seat and went to the front of the room to get her test paper. "And what might your excuse be this time? You over slept because you stayed up all night long studying with your sister? You had a terrible nightmare and couldn't wake from it? Your books magically floated to the ceiling and you couldn't get them down? Your cat ate your book so you couldn't study?" Phoebe was staring at him now, eyebrow raised. The rest of class busted up laughing. "Come now, Miss Halliwell, give me a creative excuse for a change."  
  
"I-I just overslept. That's all." Phoebe stammered. He handed her the test paper and griped at the rest of the class for laughing as she returned to her seat.  
  
  
  
"Well, Miss Halliwell, the club looks good, but I'm sure that my team, like they always do, will find some sort of violation." Health Inspector Johnson said.  
  
"How charming," Piper mumbled sarcastically.  
  
"I'm sorry what was that?" He asked.  
  
"Um…hot…timing?" She said, almost asking if he bought her cover up.  
  
"What is hot timing?"  
  
"You are?" She said uncertain he was buying her attempt at being polite with him. She knew the agency was going to send a strict man but she didn't know he would be a pompous jerk as well.  
  
"What do you mean?" He asked glaring at her.  
  
"I just meant that you're timing was good," She said, his expression was unchanging so she added, "that you picked a good time to inspect my club. I just love mornings." She smiled a phony smile, and the phone rang. "Um…excuse me." Piper walked over to the bar, rolling her eyes at her pathetic cover up, and answered the phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Piper, It's me."  
  
"Prue, What do you need? Is something wrong?"  
  
"No, Phoebe told me to pick up some kind of herb for the potion and I can't remember what it was called." Prue said. "I'm at the shop now but I can't remember the name of it."  
  
"So call Phoebe and ask her."  
  
"Well, I can't she's still in class."  
  
"Okay, well what was the herb for?" Piper asked.  
  
"Oh, protection. I know that." Prue answered.  
  
"Prue, that doesn't really narrow it down. There is more than one used for that." Piper said as she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Hang on," She told Prue.  
  
Piper slowly turned to face the inspector trying not to let her aggravation show on her face. "Yes?"  
  
"Who might you be talking to that is more important than this inspection, Miss Halliwell?" Inspector Johnson asked.  
  
"My sister." Piper said as if that made it perfectly clear.  
  
"Well, personal calls should be taken after the insp—" He froze as Piper flicked her fingers in his face  
  
"Okay, one minute you—"  
  
"Piper?" She heard Prue on the phone and brought it back to her ear.  
  
"Sorry, this inspector is a major pain in the ass. I had to freeze him. Look, I can name off a few of the herbs used for protection and you'll have to see if you can remember which one Phoebe said to get. Okay?"  
  
"Okay, shoot." Prue said.  
  
"There is Sage, um…Mistletoe, Marjoram, Lilac, Ivy, I think Clove is used for protection I can't remember, uh…then there is Garlic, Carnation, Basil, and Bay. I can't think of anymore. Do any of those sound like the right one?" Piper asked.  
  
"Bay sounds familiar, I'm pretty sure it was Bay. That's what I'll get." Prue told her.  
  
Piper raised her hand and unfroze the inspector. "—ection is over with." He finished off his previous sentence.  
  
"Right, no problem." She said to him. "Prue, I have to go. I'll call you back later."  
  
"Bye Piper, Love you and see you soon." Prue said.  
  
"Love you too, bye." Piper said hanging up the phone. She turned to face the inspector again. "Are you almost done here? Because I have a family thing that I have to um…do with my sisters." She asked hoping to end her meeting with the inspector from hell a little early.  
  
"What kind of family thing? Everyone is okay I hope?" He said.  
  
"Like you could care." Piper mumbled.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"It, it…has to do with…hair." Piper said.  
  
"What?" The inspector asked not buying her cover up. "With hair?"  
  
"Yeah, we have a…um… this ritual hair thing. Um, you know where we do this girls day out thing and get all pampered up." Piper said.  
  
"Right, well don't worry your little split ends we're just finishing up." He said and turned to walk away.  
  
Piper rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in frustration then followed Inspector Johnson. He walked to another inspector that was doing the job that Inspector Johnson was supposed to be doing.  
  
"We're finished here, Mr. Johnson." The young inspector said.  
  
"Good, what violations were there?" Mr. Johnson asked.  
  
"There were none, sir. The club is in perfect condition. She has everything in accordance with the—"  
  
"What? Nothing is wrong at all?" He cut in sounding aggravated.  
  
"A little disappointed there, Inspector?" Piper asked. "Is it so hard to believe that I've got everything in order here? I didn't spend day and night checking and rechecking this club to have you hit me with some hundred-dollar fee. If he says it is perfect, then it is perfect." Piper said with Inspector Johnson staring at her wide-eyed.  
  
"That is some attitude you ha—"  
  
"Excuse me, but I do not have an attitude, you just have a perception problem." Piper said as the inspector was treading on her last nerve. He opened his mouth to respond but Piper cut him off. " Inspector, I do have that sister thing that I need to take care of. So, if you wouldn't mind leaving now." Piper said as Phoebe came running into the club shouting for Piper.  
  
"Oh, sorry." Phoebe said when she saw the inspector was still there. "I was kind of ready for our…um, our little…sister thing."  
  
"Right, our sister thing." Piper repeated quickly, thankful that Phoebe had not blown her cover. She turned to the inspector. "If we're finished here…"  
  
"Come on guys let's get back to the office." A displeased Johnson said to his men. They all left the club except Inspector Johnson who spun around to face Piper once more.  
  
"Well, I hope the two of you have fun with your mud masks, but remember we will be dropping in unannounced from time to time for a few months to do check ups."  
  
"Right, Great, I don't care. You can leave now okay, thank you." Piper said giving the inspector a little push towards the door. Inspector Johnson nodded his head, and then he left the club. As soon as he closed the door behind him Piper said, "Do you know how much of a repulsive troll that man is? The whole time he was here, here in my club, he was nothing but rude and inconsiderate."  
  
"Okay, um…bitching later, potion and spell casting now." She started to push Piper towards the door. "Let's go, I called Prue and told her to meet us at the house."  
  
Prue's call had totally slipped Piper's mind and therefore she didn't mention it to Phoebe, she just grabbed her purse and followed Phoebe out, locking the club up behind her.  
  
  
  
They got into Piper's Cherokee and drove home. Prue wasn't there yet so Phoebe ran to the attic and made a list of the other ingredients for the potion while Piper copied the incantation. While Phoebe was in the kitchen making the potion Prue drove up the driveway. Piper was out sitting on the front steps, she ran to Prue, grabbed the sack with the herb from her, and rushed it in to Phoebe.  
  
"Here is the herb you wanted, Pheebs." Piper handed Phoebe the bag. "Prue is putting her coat and purse away." Piper sat down at the table to wait, reading over the incantation to be sure she copied it correctly.  
  
"Okay, let's get this done." Prue said coming into the room dropping her purse on the floor. Phoebe added the last herb and a few minutes later she had three glasses of yellowish-brown goo.  
  
"We have to drink this?" Piper asked watching a clump slide from one side of her glass to the other side. "It looks like mud in a glass of orange juice."  
  
"Yeah, sorry. It may not look pretty but it does wonders for protection." Phoebe joked. "Now, bottoms up." Phoebe downed her portion quickly while Prue took her time, and Piper stood staring at hers before Phoebe snapped at her.  
  
"Piper, hurry up we're supposed to cast the spell directly after downing the potion not after waiting a day for you to inspect the drink. It's totally edible." Phoebe gave Piper a commanding look. "Why is it that you're always the one that objects to taking my potions?"  
  
"It's really not that bad tasting." Prue said changing the subject to prevent an argument from starting between her sisters.  
  
"Oh, who are you kidding I heard your yuck." Piper said then looked at her glass. She closed her eyes and sucked the lumpy liquid down. "Ehh." Piper gagged sticking her tongue out and handing the glass to Phoebe.  
  
"I didn't have a lot of time okay?" Phoebe said defensively.  
  
"Okay, the spell, the spell." Prue reminded them.  
  
"Right, we say this, and The Book of Shadows said we could combine that with this incantation to make it stronger. So, we say this one first then this one." Piper said pointing at different things written on the piece of paper in her hand.  
  
"Okay, so here we go." Prue said.  
  
Phoebe was to Piper's right and Prue was on her left. Piper held up the paper so that they could all see it.  
  
Together they recited the spell:  
  
"Thrice around the circle's bound,  
  
Evil sink into the ground."  
  
"I am protected by your might,  
  
O gracious Goddess, day and night."  
  
They finished the spell together and stood there waiting for something, glancing at one another.  
  
"Is something supposed to happen or not?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Nope, don't guess so." Piper said. They stood there for a few minutes waiting anyway before Prue said anything.  
  
"Hey, Pheebs did I leave my wallet up in the attic last night?" Prue asked drastically changing the subject. "I could not find it all day. I had to write a check for a five dollar lunch." Prue said obviously irritated.  
  
"I think you might have." Phoebe said.  
  
"Well, why don't you go look?" Piper chimed in.  
  
"I think I will smarty. Thank you." Prue said sarcastically as she headed for the stairs.  
  
Piper and Phoebe sat down at the table to have some tea that Piper had already fixed. Phoebe was sipping her drink when she heard something. She sat her cup down and looked around the room. Piper noticed she was looking around the room and she put down her cup as well.  
  
"What? What are you looking at?" Piper asked looking around.  
  
"Prue?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"She's in the attic." Piper said.  
  
"No, no I just heard her. She sounded like she was right next to me." Phoebe said standing and looking around the room once more.  
  
"Phoebe she's—"  
  
"Shh!" Phoebe cut off her sister. "Did you hear that?" She asked in a whisper.  
  
"Hear what?" Piper asked out of frustration. Phoebe just waited, staring at Piper until she pointed up.  
  
"That! Did you hear it?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Wait, yeah I did." Piper stood up and went to Phoebe's side. "Prue? Are you in here? Come on quit playing jokes on us."  
  
Prue didn't come out but they kept hearing her. Phoebe gave Piper a questioning look.  
  
"You don't think something went wrong with the spell do you?" Piper asked.  
  
"I don't know. Let's go check the book and see if there are consequences or something like that." Phoebe said and took her sister's hand and headed toward the attic.  
  
  
  
They saw Prue standing behind the book with wallet in hand flipping pages like crazy.  
  
She looked up when she heard Phoebe clear her throat, and Piper stomp her foot.  
  
"Aha! I knew you two were standing there playing a joke on me." Prue came around the book walking toward them, pointing her finger at them. "Where were you hiding? Huh? I looked everywhere."  
  
"Prue, what are you talking about?" Piper asked.  
  
"I could hear you whispering to me." Prue said.  
  
"Prue, you were whispering to us downstairs." Piper said.  
  
"What?" Prue straightened up getting serious again. "How? I never said a word."  
  
"We need to check the book." Phoebe said.  
  
"Um… no I did that. There's no side effects or anything that come along with the potion or the spell. Whatever this is it isn't consequence of the spell." Prue said.  
  
"Well, Prue, which herb did you end up buying?" Piper asked remembering the phone call once more.  
  
"Wait, what do you mean end up buying? I told you to get Basil, didn't you give me Basil?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Opps." Prue muttered. "I couldn't remember so I called Piper at the club, and she named off like twenty different herbs so I got the one that sounded like the best protection, it sounded close to Basil."  
  
"Prue! What did you give me?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"I bought Bay it sounded like Basil, I knew it started with a B so I guessed between Bay and Basil." Prue said defensively. "And Bay happened to win. Besides, I asked the lady in the shop if it would work for protection, and she said yes."  
  
Phoebe moved to The Book of Shadows to try and find something that would tell her what went wrong. Piper and Prue stood aside patiently waiting.  
  
"Prue! Would you please stop whispering in my ear?" Piper asked.  
  
"I'm not, you are whispering in mine!" Prue argued.  
  
"I did not say a thing to—"  
  
"Children, children, please." Phoebe said sticking her hand between their faces.  
  
"Neither one of you is whispering to the other. Okay, listen; Basil is an herb that is used for love, wealth, and protection. That is why it's used in most common protection spells. Bay, however, is used for wisdom and protection but also for increasing psychic powers." Phoebe looked at her sister's faces and they looked totally confused, she rolled her eyes and went on. "In other words the reason people don't use Bay for common protection spells is because it gives you the ability to read minds and if you don't know how that power works then you can't control it, and it will drive you insane," Phoebe said. "Oh, not literally." She added to the looks on her sister's faces.  
  
"Oh boy, here we go again." Piper muttered, rubbing her temples.  
  
"So, how long will we hear each others thought, again?" Prue asked.  
  
"Four days, that's when the spell wears off." Phoebe said. "Or until we defeat the demon that is stalking us."  
  
"Wait, Pheebs, how come I don't hear you whispering to me?" Piper asked.  
  
"I'm not sure." Phoebe answered.  
  
"Yeah, I don't either." Prue added.  
  
"Hmm, that's strange." Phoebe said.  
  
"What?" Piper asked.  
  
"I don't hear either of you either."  
  
"I bet it has something to do with your power. Yours has some kind of telepathic base doesn't it?" Piper asked.  
  
"Yeah, maybe you've just adapted to this…power, if we can call it that." Prue said.  
  
"So, we'll hear each others thoughts for four days, that's not so bad, we've done it before."  
  
"Okay, so then I can't go back to work?" Piper asked.  
  
"No, you can, but you might go mad from hearing everyone." Phoebe said.  
  
"Well, we have to reverse the spell and cast it with the right ingredients in the potion then." Prue said. "Piper can't go to the club this way, it'll be packed. She'll surely go crazy if she has to listen to that many people at once."  
  
"Prue, we can't, Bay won't wear off for four days or until it's served its purpose. If we just use Basil over the top of it, we'll just be doubly protected, it won't cancel out the Bay." Phoebe said.  
  
"Guys," Piper cut in. "We've dealt with fire breathing demons, warlocks trying to steal our powers, and other various evils that want us dead, I think we can handle a few extra thoughts."  
  
"Listen, I have a few afternoon classes to get to so we'll finish talking about this tonight." Phoebe said.  
  
"Yeah, I can give you a ride." Piper said. After she grabbed her keys and looked up at  
  
Phoebe's face she said, "Oh, sorry. I thought you actually asked."  
  
"So you can hear me?" Phoebe stated more than asked.  
  
"No, I can't. That's why I thought you really asked." Piper answered.  
  
"But you just—"  
  
"You probably just let your guard down." Piper rationalized.  
  
"But I didn't—"  
  
"Just go get in the car!" Piper said cutting off Phoebe's sentence.  
  
"Going." Phoebe started walking to the door grabbing her bag on the way.  
  
"Piper, I have to go back to work." Prue said following Piper toward the front door. She bent down and grabbed her camera case and her purse. "I'll be home early if I can. We have to find out if there is a way to lure that demon to us or something."  
  
"Call me if anything happens." Piper said. "I doubt I'll be at the club all night with all those people and their thoughts, I'll probably leave Rachel in charge and come home. So call me here if I'm not at the club."  
  
"I will do, but I doubt that anything will come up. I mean unless you want me to tell you that right now I can hear Phoebe griping about waiting for you in the car."  
  
"Oh!" Piper said grabbing her keys and running out the door after her younger sister.  
  
"Call me later!" Piper shouted as she climbed into the jeep and drove off.  
  
Prue watched from the doorway as Piper drove down the road taking Phoebe back to the college, she noticed that no one had picked the paper up off the steps. She went to get the paper leaving the front door wide open. As she bent down and picked up the paper she felt a tremendous weight on her shoulders. She tumbled down the remaining steps before jumping to her feet, looking around in defense. There was no one anywhere around her. "You guys don't waste any time do you?" She asked aloud.  
  
Suddenly she heard a man's voice whisper, "This will be easier than I thought it'd be."  
  
She threw the paper in front of her and it hung suspended in mid-air before it fell. The demon that Prue had suspected to be standing before her had caught the newspaper out of reflex. Prue used her power on the area of space where she thought the demon was, and then she ran with all her might back into the house to get to the book. After she entered the house she heard something that sounded like a stun gun going off. She spun around and saw the form of a man, covered in black scales looking at her. There appeared to be a type of force field in the doorway prevented him from entering the house.  
  
The demon just stood there and stared at Prue and she stared back. After a few moments of intense staring Prue turned to go consult the book and call her sister to warn them that he could not enter the house, but the demon made a sound that sounded as if he was trying to talk. In her mind Prue heard the man's voice that she heard after she fell. It said: "Go; go read your little magic book. I'll take care of your sisters first." She watched as the Darkar Demon disappeared before her eyes.  
  
Prue panicked and ran out the back door, leaving the front door wide open, jumped in her car and sped off for the college. Prue knew that Phoebe had her Psychology class at this time. She raced down the halls, bumping into students and knocking their books out of their hands. She finally made it to the class and saw Phoebe, through the window, sitting in class taking notes. Prue gave a sigh of relief and looked at some students, who were staring at her, they instantly turned and left. She looked back through the window once more. The professor turned his back to the class to write something on his board, and Prue saw the Darkar Demon appear behind Phoebe for a spilt second, long enough to wave and disappear once more.  
  
Prue burst into the class, and Phoebe jumped out of her seat.  
  
"Pheebs, we need to leave. It's an emergency." Prue said, going to Phoebe's side and stuffing her sister's stuff into her bag. Prue turned to the professor, "Sorry for disrupting your class, but a dear friend of ours is in the hospital, and she's been in a coma, and she just came out, and she's asking for us. The doctor said he's not sure she'll make it through the week so we want to be there with her as much as we can."  
  
Phoebe was looking at her sister shocked, but the expression was wiped from her face when Prue grabbed her arm and yanked her from the room. A ways down the hall and away from the class Prue pulled Phoebe into the biggest hug muttering, "Thank God."  
  
"What is wrong with you?" Phoebe asked, trying to get out of the hug, feeling a little embarrassed to be seen being smothered by her older sister. "Are you crazy?"  
  
"I'll explain in the car, Pheebs, Piper is in trouble." Prue said yanking Phoebe down the hall again.  
  
"She's under a protection spell, Prue, we all are. We're safe." Phoebe said.  
  
"No, we're not. I was attacked at the house right after you left." Prue explained as they both got into the car.  
  
"By the demon? That demon isn't even supposed to touch us. The spell is supposed to burn him badly, very badly if he does." Phoebe said.  
  
"It must have backfired, or maybe because of the Bay it didn't work, but whatever the case may be Piper is in danger."  
  
"Why did you burst into my class like that? You could have calmly come in and gotten me."  
  
"I was going to, Pheebs, but back at the manor when the demon attacked me I heard its thoughts. It said, 'Go; go read your little magic book. I'll take care of your sisters first.'" Prue explained. "And as I was looking at you through the window I saw the demon appear behind you, and it waved at me then disappeared again, as if he was taunting me. I panicked."  
  
"Wait, Prue, you saw the demon at the house?" Phoebe asked, obviously confused. "It's an invisible demon."  
  
"The manor has this…shield or force field kind of thing around it, least that's what I would guess from what I saw." Prue tried to explain what she has seen earlier. "And when he tried to follow me into the manor he was shocked at the doorway, and he became visible."  
  
"Okay," Phoebe said. "I still don't understand why the spell wouldn't work, I mean we did everything correctly and even though we used a different type of protection herb it should still protect."  
  
"I couldn't think of any reason either," Prue admitted.  
  
"Wait!" Phoebe nearly shouted.  
  
"What? What is it, Pheebs?" Prue asked a little startled by her outburst.  
  
"We're still being protected, just not like the book said we would. We used the wrong herb so the spell won't have the same results it would if we had used the right herb." Phoebe said.  
  
"But, Pheebs, I was attacked, how can that be protection?"  
  
"Prue, you got to me before I was attacked, you protected me from the demon." Phoebe said, and Prue still looked like she did not understand. "You were my protection and we are Piper's. Look, you said you could hear the demon's thoughts, right? Well, if you hadn't heard him think about getting me and Piper first then we wouldn't be safe."  
  
"Oh, I see. So, we're being protected in a round about way?"  
  
"Exactly, Prue, now all we need to worry about is getting to Piper on time."  
  
Minutes later as Piper was stacking glasses at the bar her sisters came rushing in shouting for her. Piper dropped a glass as a result of her sisters' abrupt shouting.  
  
"What?" She asked a bit angry about the broken glass, which she bent down to brush into a dustpan.  
  
"We need to talk." Prue said. "The spell didn't work like it should have. We're still capable of being hurt very badly."  
  
"What?" Piper asked standing up very quickly. "What do you mean?"  
  
"We need to get to the Manor, we're not safe he—" Phoebe was cut off by another voice. "Did you hear that?" Phoebe quickly asked instead.  
  
"He's here," Prue said with the tone of fear in her voice.  
  
"What's the matter, Witch?" They all three heard in their minds. "Afraid of your imagination?"  
  
"We're not afraid of you." Prue said aloud.  
  
"We're not?" Piper asked.  
  
"No, we're not. We can kill you." Prue said.  
  
"You can't kill me." He said in their minds. "You can't even see me. You don't know where I am."  
  
Prue picked up a glass of water and flung it at thin air. It stopped in mid-air just as the paper had. "You'd be surprised what someone can get from someone else's thoughts." Prue said. "Freeze him, Piper!" Prue said.  
  
Piper flung out her hands and froze the whole club while shouting, "Freeze what?" back at Prue. "Did I get it?"  
  
"I think so." Prue said.  
  
"How do you know?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"His thoughts are gone…" Prue answered. "I could hear some part of his brain telling his body where to move in relation to where we were standing, and that's how I knew where he was."  
  
"What?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Well, you know how you mind sends messages to your body parts telling them how to function, and all that stuff? That's what I think I heard. I'm not sure, but the point is that I knew where he was." Prue explained.  
  
"Hate to break up the scientific lessons here, but how do we get it to show itself?" Piper asked. "We can't really vanquish an invisible demon that well."  
  
"I don't know." Prue said.  
  
"Maybe we should try electrocuting it, you said that made it visible earlier, right Prue?" Phoebe said.  
  
"Well, what can we shock it with? It's not like I have a loose wire handy." Piper said agitated.  
  
"Oh, I know!" Prue chimed in. "Rachel once told me that she always carried a stun gun around in her purse, cause she didn't trust California at night."  
  
"Well, Rachel's not here!" Piper snapped. "She went to lunch."  
  
"But her purse didn't, don't you ever pay attention? She carries a coin purse to lunch and leaves her purse in her locker." Prue said.  
  
The three sisters went to the lockers quickly, and Prue used her power to yank the lock off. Phoebe grabbed Rachel's purse and began going through until she came across the shocker. She pulled it out and handed it to Prue.  
  
"Me? Why me?" She asked.  
  
"We don't know where it is." Phoebe answered.  
  
"Neither do I," Prue argued.  
  
"No, but you have a good idea where, and I doubt he's going to give us a second chance if we don't get him good the first time." Phoebe argued back.  
  
They went back to where they thought the demon was and Prue stuck the gun up to nothing and pulled the trigger. After a few seconds the form of a scaled man flashed and flickered before solidifying and falling to his knees. Prue jumped back, and Piper had pulled a piece of paper from her pocket.  
  
"This is the vanquishing spell, Prue, hurry up. Let's get this done with." Piper said.  
  
They all looked at the paper and read over the spell before starting to chant it aloud.  
  
"In the secret, where we cannot see,  
  
we give no thanks for your presence here,  
  
retreat into darkness and leave us be  
  
may the winds once more blow pure and sweet,  
  
we now invoke the power of three:  
  
This is our will so mote it be."  
  
The black scaly, demon screamed and began to melt away. He vowed his revenge, and then disappeared into a pile of dust. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe exchanged glances. Rachel came back from lunch and saw the big pile of dust.  
  
"I swear I was going to do that when I got back from lunch." Rachel said worried. "Please don't fire me.  
  
"Do what?" Piper asked.  
  
"Sweep and dust," Rachel said faltering. "I was going to do it, but then I got hungry and it was lunch time so I just assumed tha—"  
  
"Rachel, it's fine." Phoebe said and Piper and Prue both nodded in agreement.  
  
Rachel smiled, and breathed a sign of relief, then went back into the locker room.  
  
"What will we tell her about her locker, and the fact that you have her stun gun in your hand?" Piper asked Prue.  
  
"We won't, we'll sneak the gun back tomorrow, and say we didn't know about the lock." Prue said. "What else can we say?"  
  
"How about, we had to use your stun gun to shock an invisible demon into visibility so that we could work our mystical magic and return him to hell?" Phoebe asked. "You think she'll buy it?"  
  
"Why not?" Prue asked.  
  
"Hey, all the crazy little voices are gone." Piper noted.  
  
"What do you mean crazy?" Prue asked.  
  
"You'd be surprised what some people think about some of the time." Piper replied.  
  
"Yep, the spell wore off since it has served its purpose." Phoebe said.  
  
"Well, that's good, I was getting sick of having Rachel look at me like I was insane every time I'd ask her what she said." Piper laughed.  
  
"Uh-oh, I gotta get to work." Prue said looking at her watch. "Love you guys, see you later." She hugged her sisters and then bolted out the door.  
  
"I guess I can just hang out here, my Psychology class wasn't that exciting today anyway." Phoebe said sitting on a stool at the bar.  
  
"If you're gonna hang out you're gonna work," Piper said handing Phoebe a few glasses. "Start stacking." 


End file.
